To:J. V. STALIN AND ALL MEMBERS OF THE POLITBUREAU OF THE R.C.P.(B.) C.C.

Written:Written on August 26, 1921Published:First published in 1965 inCollected Works, Fifth (Russian) Ed., Vol. 53.

      Printed from the original.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1976,

      Moscow,Volume 45,

      pages268b-270a.Translated:Yuri SdobnikovTranscription\Markup:R. CymbalaPublic Domain:Lenin Internet ArchiveYou may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

ComradeStalin:

Nansen’smost brazen proposal (to appoint a Cadet from
the Relief
Committee),[1]the behaviour of these “Kukishi”
and the enclosed telegram clearly reveal that we have made
a mistake, or if we did not make one earlier, we are
going to blunder badly unless we keep our eyes peeled.

Youwill recall that Rykov, shortly before he left, came
and told me that someone called Runov, one of our men,had informed him about a meeting at which Prokopovich
had held forth against the government. The meeting had
been arranged by Prokopovich, who had used the Famine
Relief Committee as a screen.

Whatelse is there to wait for now? Are we going to
tolerate their obviouspreparations?

Thisis absolutely inconceivable.

Ipropose: this very day, Friday, 26/8, “Kukishi”
should be dissolved by a decision of the All-Russia C.E.C.
—motive: their refusal to work and their resolution.Appoint one man from the All-Russia Chekato take over the
money and to supervise the liquidation.

Prokopovichshould be arrested this very day on a charge
of anti-government speech-making (at a meeting
attended by Runov) and detained for about three months, while
we make athoroughinvestigation of the meeting.

Theother members of “Kukishi” should be expelled
from Moscow at once, this very day, and settled singly in
uyezd towns, preferably without railways,under
surveillance.

Reallyand truly it would be a bad mistake to wait any
longer. The whole thing will be done before Nansen leaves.
Nansen will be faced with a clear “ultimatum”. That will
be an end to this playing (with fire).

Notlater than tomorrow we shall publish five lines of
a short dry “government communiqué”: dissolved because
of unwillingness to
work.[2]

Weshall issue an order to the newspapers: the same day,
tomorrow, start ridiculing “Kukishi” in a hundred ways.
These whiteguards and sons of the landed gentry wanted
to take a trip abroad and refused to go and work in the
localities. Kalinin has gone, but the Cadets find it
“unbefitting”. They should be ridiculed and harassed in every
possible way at least once a week in the course of two
months.

Thesore tooth will be extracted right away, and with
great benefit in every respect.

Theremust be no wavering. I suggest that we get this
thing over and done with at the Politbureau today.

Foreignerswill start arriving, and Moscow should be
“cleared” of the “Kukishi”, and their playing (with fire)should be stopped. Show this to the members of the
Politbureau.

[1]AboutFridtjof Nansen’s proposal see Notes 227 and 229.

The“Kukishi” were members of the All-Russia Famine Relief
Committee. “Kukish” is the Russian for fig, and is an acronym
coined from the names of Yelena Kuskova and N. M. Kishkin,
two of its members.

[2]Thegovernment communique on the dissolution of the
All-Russia Famine Relief Committee was published inPravdaNo.
191, on August 30, 1921.